Hair straightening device



United States Patent ()fitice 3,074,416 Patented Jan. 22, 1963 3,074,416 HAIR STRAIGHTENING DEVICE Olivia Perkerson, 3624 W. Adams St., Los Angeles, Calif. Filed Feb. 1, 1960, Ser. No. 5,797 3 Claims. (Cl. 132-40) This invention relates generally to apparatus for treating human hair, and more particularly concerns novel apparatus usable in the treatment of human hair to reduce the tight curl thereof and to produce desired open and loose curls or waves.

It is a major object of the invention to provide appa ratus for treating human hair, and particularly Negroid hair, characterized in that it functions to reduce the natural tight curling of such hair, and holds the hair in desired open wave conformation for setting purposes. At the present time it is believed that there are no commercially successful devices available for accomplishing this purpose, the known hair treating devices having for their purpose the formation of curls or waves in hair that is naturally straight instead of naturally very tightly curled.

Broadly speaking, my invention comprises an assembly including means applicable to the human head for gripping a hair cluster and thereby causing the latter to project outwardly from the scalp, a roll or roller at the side of such means opposite the scalp and having curvature substantially less than that of a curl of the hair to be treated, together with a shield fitting over the roll for confining the projecting hair cluster to extend stretched out at least partly around and in close conformity to the curved surface of the roll. Accordingly, the assembly may be manipulated and applied to the human head so 'as tightly to grip a hair cluster, the latter being then subjected to stretching over the roll of large diameter or small curvature. Such hair in stretched out condition is then confined in position against the roller by the shield which is fitted over the roll and is held in place thereover during setting of the hair. it is contemplated that heat may be applied to the shield, as by radiation, the heat then being transferable through the shield to the hair confined against the roll, hair setting solution having been first applied to the hair cluster before the heat treatment to aid in bringing about the desired reduction in tightness of the curls and the desired permanent setting.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a hair treating device of particular and advantageous structural configuration, including a pair of plates interconnected to pivot toward one another for positively gripping the hair cluster therebetween, together with a roll at the side of the plates opposite the plates, the roll being mounted on at least one of the plates for rotation about the roller axis extending essentially parallel to the lengthwise extents of the plates. Further, as will be brought out, detent means are provided to resist rotation of the roller and thereby to hold it in position particularly during the heat application and hair setting interval, prior to which the hair cluster was stretched out over the roll aided by turning thereof about its axis, all as will be brought out.

Other advantages and objects of the present invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation showing the apparatus in assembled condition;

FIG. 2 is a view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view showing the interconnected plates spread apart at opposite sides of the hair cluster, with the shield in retracted position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the roller itself disassembled from the apparatus;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing the connection between the mounting and protecting plates; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing the hinging of the clamp to the scissors plate assembly.

In the drawings, the means applicable to the human head for gripping the hair cluster, generally indicated at 10 in FIGS. 2 and 3, is shown in its preferred embodiment by the numeral 11 to comprise a pair of elongated plates 12 interconnected in scissors relation at overlapping plate corners by a hinge 13. When the plates are brought together to overlap as shown in FIG. 2, they then grip the hair cluster 10 so that the latter projects outwardly away from the scalp. In this instance the plates are held together as by a bayonet and slot connection shown at 14 and 15 in FIGS. 3 and 5, such connection typically being frictional with the bayonet acting to spread apart the upstanding catches 16 forming the slot connection 15.

Upstanding from the uppermost plate 12 are longitudinally spaced generally U-shaped flat metal springs 17 having legs 18 between which are received the endwise oppositely extending stub shafts 19 of the roller 24 The latter includes a large drum portion 21 received between the two mounting springs 17 as best shown in FIG. 1, for purposes of stretching out the hair cluster 10 around the drum portion of the roller.

Generally speaking, the roller has a curvature substantially less than that of the hair to be treated and typically would have a diameter of between inch and 1%. inches, and the length of the drum would be around 1 inch, indicating that its length to diameter ratio is around 1 to 1. Further, the roller is held in position with its surface in frictional sliding engagement with the uppermost plate 12 by the interlocking detent connection between the stub shafts 19 and the spring legs 18 which are shown in FIG. 2 to have complementary interlocking serrations generally indicated at 129. Thus, turning of the roller 29 is resisted at its opposite ends by the interferring action of the serrations 12%) on the spring legs 18 and on the stub shafts 19, the latter spreading apart the spring legs from their natural unspread apart condition. Also, such rotation is resisted by the frictional engagement of the roller with the uppermost plate 12. Accordingly, the roller will not unwind loosening the stretched out hair, but is held in whatever position the user desires for holding of the hair in stretched out position extending at least partially around the roll.

The hair is positively clamped in such stretched out position by shield means fitting over the roll for confining the projecting hair cluster in close conformity to the curved surface of the roll. Such shield means is typically shown at 22 in the form of a metal sheet or cover for the roll extending completely over the latter and having its edges 23 adjacent the plates 12. Preferably, but not necessarily, the shield is mounted on one of the plates 12, typically the lowermost plate, in order to be pivotable away and toward the roll 21 as desired during the hair setting operation. Such a pivot mounting is shown at 24 in FIGS. 3 and 6 to include the hinges 25 carried by the shield 22 and the hinge pins 26 carried by the lowermost plate 12. and extending through the hinges 25.

The shield 22 furthermore may have a springy quality, and be shaped so as to have interference fit over the drum 21 when it is swung over into clamping engagement with the hair stretched over the drum 21. Thus, the shield is indicated in FIG. 2 to have a natural curvature as by the broken lines 27, it being necessary to spread the shield by interengagernent of the latter with the roll as it layer of heat insulative material 30, these layers having for their purpose the protection of the scalp 31 from burns which would otherwise be caused by the high temperature of the metallic apparatus to which heat is applied as by an electrically energized heat radiating device, as for example a dryer assembly. Typically, the layers 30 a may comprise felt or plastic material, whereas the plates '12, roller 2% and shield 22 may comprise aluminum,

steel or other suitable metallic material.

From the foregoing it will appear that I have provided a very practical and effective apparatus for reducing the curl in human hair that is naturally tightly curled, and 'at the same time forming desired loose waves, all in a very simple manner unknown to the prior art.

I claim:

1'. Apparatus for treating human hair to reduce its tight curl, comprising an assembly including means 'applicable to the human head, for gripping a hair cluster to project outwardly from the scalp, a roll at the side of said means opposite the scalp and having curvature substantially less than that of :a curl of the hair to be treated, the external diameter of the roll being greater than 4 inch throughout the hair contacting length of the roll, and shield means being made of thin resilient material and of a curvature greater than that of the roll whereby the shield is adapted to be sprung onto the roll when the apparatus has been applied to the head and the cluster of hair has been gripped by the hair gripping means ISO as to confine the cluster of hair stretched out at least partly around and in close proximity to the surface of the roll, said shield means comprising a thin metallic cover for said roll whereby said shield means is adapted readily to transfer heat applied to the outer side thereof to the hair confined at the inner side of the shield, said roll having a turning axis and said shield having a generally G-shaped cross section in a plane normal to said axis.

2. Apparatus for treating human hair to reduce its tight curl, comprising an assembly including a pair of 4 plates interconnected to pivot toward one another for gripping therebetween a hair cluster to project outwardly from the scalp along the length of said plates, a roller at the side of said plates opposite the scalp and having curvature substantially less than that of a curl of the hair to be treated, the external diameter of the roller being greater than inch throughout the hair contacting length of the roller, said roller'having axial end projections, spring clips carried by one plate and removably mounting said end projections for rotation about the roller axis extending substantially parallel to the lengthwise extent of said plates, and a shield made of thin resilient material and having a curvature greater than that of the roller whereby the shield is adapted to be sprung onto the roller when the apparatus has-been applied to' the head and the cluster of hair has been gripped by the hair gripping means so as to confine the cluster of hair stretched out at least partly around and in close proximity to the surface of the roller, said shield comprising a thin metallic cover for said roller whereby said shield is adapted readily to transfer heat applied to the outer side thereof to the hair confined at the inner side of the shield, said D0116! having a turning axis and said shield having a generally C-shaped cross section in a plane normal to said axis, and detent means carried by said as-' sembly for resisting rotation of the roller.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 including a layer of heat insulative material attached to the sides of said plates adjacent the scalp for resisting heat transfer to the scalp from said plates, said shield means being carried by one of said plates and mounted for rotation about an axis extending substantially parallel to the roller axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Jan. 29, 1953 V 

1. APPARATUS FOR TREATING HUMAN HAIR TO REDUCE ITS TIGHT CURLS, COMPRISING AN ASSEMBLY INCLUDING MEANS APPLICABLE TO THE HUMAN HEAD, FOR GRIPPING A HAIR CLUSTER TO PROJECT OUTWARDLY FROM THE SCALP, A ROLL AT THE SIDE OF SAID MEANS OPPOSITE THE SCALP AND HAVING CURVATURE SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THAT OF A CURL OF THE HAIR TO BE TREATED, THE EXTERNAL DIAMETER OF THE ROLL BEING GREATER THAN 3/4 INCH THROUGHOUT THE HAIR CONTACTING LENGTH OF THE ROLL, AND SHEILD MEANS BEING MADE OF THIN RESILIENT MATERIAL AND A CURVATURE GREATER THAN THAT OF THE ROLL WHEREBY THE SHEILD IS ADAPTED TO BE SPRUNG ONTO THE ROLL WHEN THE APPARATUS HAS BEEN APPLIED TO THE HEAD AND THE CLUSTER OF HAIR HAS BEEN GRIPPED BY THE HAIR GRIPPING MEANS SO AS TO CONFINE THE CLUSTER OF THE HAIR STRETCHED OUT AT LEAST PARTLY AROUND AND IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE SURFACE OF THE ROLL, SAID SHEILD MEANS COMPRISING A THIN METALIC COVER FOR SAID ROLL WHEREBY SAID SHEILD MEANS IS ADAPTED READILY TO TRANSFER HEAT APPLIED TO THE OUTER SIDE THEREOF TO THE HAIR CONFINED AT THE INNER SIDE OF THE SHIELD, SAID ROLL HAVING A TURNING AXIS AND SAID SHIELD HAVING A GENERALLY C-SHAPED CROSS SECTION IN A PLANE NORMAL TO SAID AXIS. 